Electrically-operated track switch



Oct. 7,1930. -G'.B ONTE f 1,777,825

ELECTRICALLY OPERATED TRACK SWITCH Filed Dec. 1, 1928 2 Shuts-Sheet 1 vlnvenfvr:

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Oct. 7, 1930. BONTE BLsc'rRwALLY OPERATED TRACK swncn Filed Dec. 1, 19282 Shuts-Shoot 2 lnv enfor:

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Patented a. 7, 19301 GEORG Boir'rE; oFfBEnLIN-sIE EnssrAnr, GERMANY,Assmuoa 'ro VERLEINIGTEB i EISENBAI-IN-SIGNALWEBKE ensnnrsonnrr I MITBEsonR'Af xT R HAF-TUNG, o! BERLIm-s Ei/mNsszren'r, GERMANY, AcoRroRA'rIoN OF, GERMANY a. i

E crmoAL v-ornnemn TRACK swmjcn y Application filedffiecember 1 19 28,Ser1 al fio. 323,967, and iii- Germany A il 16, 192s.

My invention relates, to improvements electrically operated trackswitches.

secure or lock the tongues or points of track; switches 1n the endposition, which is genjerally effected-by latchesJf- By my invention itis possible to incorporate the lock for v the switch tongues in theoperating gear. Such aconstructionhas amongst othersthe specialadvantage,that alarge portion ofthe a box inthe known switchdrives iseliminated i or protected against the effects of the weath" er ormechanical injury from outside "by. i

stones or the like located betweenthe-rails. .According to my inventionthe arrange mentis' such, that for operating the' 'switchtongues anintermediatemember 7 is placed between the reversible motor andtheswitch operating rod, which on the one hand transmits the powerof-the motor to the operating rod and efi'ects its motion and on theother hand, after-the settingmotion has been com pleted, bringsabout themotion of the locking members, located inside the drive box, by arelative motion of the individual parts of the intermediate member.

The idea underlying my invention may be reducedto practicein variousways; for inistance by using asrelatively movable intermediate membera-transverse beamywhich normally would move "both rods attached to itsends one of which is connected with looking members.

tongues encounters a resistance, i e in the x termediate member.

the switchtongues a'ndithe otherfwith the Assoon as therodl coupled tothe switch end positionof the switch tongue or point,

Q the other rod only ismoved by the connect: 'ing beam and the switchtongue locked thereby. Itis also possible to use adifien ential gear,such as an epicyclicgear or sun and planet wheielyasrelatively movablein An embodiment'of my invention employing anfepicyc'l'ic gear isillustrated] in the;

my specification;

In the drawings,

l shows the switchioperating i l p i diagrammatically in sectional plan,and a It is well known, thati't is 'necessaryto Figs. 2 tolOtheconstruction and mode? of operation of theepicyclic gear or sun andplanet wheel. i

j Referring to Fig. lofjthe drawingseM is h the mOtorWhichthrongh acountergearing V and theepicyclic gear UT drivestheunotor l the motor.These electric switches arehere merely diagrammatically indicatedwithout their connection withthe rail switch mechanism, since thosefeatures arewell known in r the art, and are not'involved in the par-'ticular features of the presentinvention The countergearing V consistsofa pinion V a "slidingcoupling R with the sliding wheel V;;,'Jwhichmeshes with the outer gear wheel T .i

The construction and modeflof operation freelylupon the shaft G The gearwheel a T isb y'itshub rigidlycoupled with the outer wheel T;. Theplanet wheels T and T journale'd on 'therocker T mesh on the a '7 onehand with the teeth of the gear wheel T and on the other 'hand withtheteeth of the internally toothed rim G provided I a a within the casing GThe hub of the rocker T uponwhich runsthe planet housing G terminates incoupling claws T which engage the claw recessesT of the gear wheel wheelT ineshes'with the rack N of the slide bar N. On the studs of the planethousingG is mounted the control cam G for the SWllJOl'lllGYBfSD and thelocking-"mem- T with a little angular play. This ffgear face againstexcessive wear steel bolts i are inserted into them.

The motor rod N driven by the motor N1 is in known manner detachablycoupled with the switch rod W by the switch trailing coupling A, asshown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. According to the position of theoperating gear in relation to the track switches. the switch tongues maybe connected with one or the other end of the switch rod. The trailingof the switch takes place in known manner by the switch rod W beingmoved towards the motor rod N by the car wheel flanges when the pointsare thrown over, whereby owingto the resistance of the motor rod N,which is held in the end position by the locking members G the roller Ais lifted out of the notch A of the motor rod N, the spring A beingdeflected thereby.

The switch levers D controlled by parts of the gearing effect in knownmanner, as

by suitably operating electric switch M the changing over of the polewindlngs, as well 7 as of the safety groundings and the control currentcontacts, nothere shown.

The mode of operation of the described mechanism 1s as follows:

Figures 3 to illustrate different phases during the rotation of theplanet or epicyclic gear. The operating and locking process issubstantially as follows:

The motor drives through a countergearing V with planet or epicyclicgear T and driving wheel T the motor slide or rod N and through theswitch trailing coupling A the switch rod or slide V and the tongues orpoints connected with it.

The switch rod W moves parallel to the motor rod N and possesses likethe former at two places corresponding notches VV and N Only when theswitch rod and the motor rod agree in their positions, the switch leversD controlled by the rim G of the casing are able to engage the notchesand to effect the known switch movements. The notches become operativeas controlling means only when the switch or point is forced open orbreakdowns have occurred in it.

Special control rods may be provided for supervising the tongues, andthe notches of these rods must correspond with the notches of the otherslides or rods, as otherwise they would signal breakdown in the switch.

Fig. 3 of the drawing illustrates the inoperative state of the gearingin one end position of the switch. The switch rod is locked to the motorrod N by the locking member G through the switch trailing coupling.Figs.- 7 S, 9 and 10 illustrate the positions of the planet gear of theFigs. 3 to 6.

When throwing the switch into the other position the motor commencesfirst to drive the housing G because the planet wheels T 2 and Ttransmit their motion originating from the gear wheel T to the toothedrim G of the housing. support for the planet wheels is stationary,because the rocker contacts with its claws T with the abutment faces Tof the driving wheel T which is in gear with the rack N of the motorslide rod N, which is prevented from moving towards the left-hand sideby the locking member G When the housing or casing G starts turning, theopening of the lock commences. The motor slide deviates from theinoperative position in the direction of the arrow by the height of theinclined cam face G of the locking member G propelled by the drivingwheel T entrained by the rocker. The lock is undone when the lockingmember G has come in contact with the rack N as shown in Fig. 4. At thisstage the motor slide or rod N is uncovered at N At the forcing couplingthe roller A The rocker T serving as has reached the center of thenotch, from the planet wheels T and T are forced to roll upon thetoothed rim G so that the rocker T is obliged to move in the directionof the 9 arrow. The driving wheel T turns with the rocker and movesthrough the rack. N the motor slide with the coupled switch slide.

. The switch commences to move. The locking member G then slides uponthe rack.

Fig. 5 of the drawing illustrates the state, when the switch is thrownover. The switch slide W has reached itsend position. The lockingcommences, after the stopping member T has encountered the face K andhas thus come to rest. The driving wheel T continues to revolve anddrives through the planet wheels T and T the casing or hous ing G Thelocking member G, then forces the motor rod in the direction of thearrow by means of inclined cam face G until the stop G encounters theface K as illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The driving wheel T isthen carried around by the rack N across the play provided at T Togetherwith the driving wheel T the motor slide N is moved so far, that theroller A is forkjointed to the forcing coupling, as illustrated in Fig.2 for the end position of the switch drive according to Fig. 3, for intance, so that the switch rod stands under the pressure originating fromthe forcing cou pling A.

When trailing the switch the power origi nating from the switch tongueis transmitted to the switch slide W through the switch rod. Since themotor slide N is held stationaryby the locking member G the trailingpower becomes operative in the trailing coupling. The roller A is forcedout of the notch A deflecting ,the spring A the mo tor slide N isdisplaced in relation to the switch slide W and the switch levers D are,

forced out of the notchesof the rod N, where by theelectric circuit tothe control. magnets in the signal box is interrupted and indi cates thedisturbance.

In order to couple the drive again with the switch, the switch lever isthrown over,

the motor drives the motor slide, the abutment of which encounters'theroller A and forces it into thenotch A a In this way the.

switch slide is coupled withthe motor slide, i. e. the switch or drive.

is possible to throw the switch by hand. it Various modifications andchanges may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope ofthe invention. w I claim as my invention 1. An electrically operatedtrack switch mechanism, comprising in combination an electric motor, anoperating rod for transmitting the motor power to the switch tongues,and a planet gear interposed between said motor andsaid operating rod,one

wheel of said gear having means for throwing the switch tongue overduring one part of its motion and "for lockingthe switch duringanother'part of its motion, the outer member of saidplanetary gearhaving a lock 1ngr1m,sa1d operating rod havlng an abutmember of saidplanetary gear havinga lockment member located in the path of saidlocking rimand permitting said rim and the abutment member to serve'asmutual abutments.

2. An electrically operated track switch imechanism, comprising in,combination an electric motor, an operating rod for transmitting themotor power to the switch tongues, and a planet gear interposed betweensaid motor and said operating rod, one wheel of said gear having meansforlthrowing the switch tongue over during one part of its motion andfor locking the switch during another part of its motion, the outer ingrim, said operating rod having an abutment member located-in the path ofsaid locking rim and permitting saidrim and the abutment member to serveas mutual abutments, said locking rim having a suitablyshaped camsurface to press the switch point is coupled with the",

In the event of breakdowns in the drive,

ing another part of its motion, the; outer member of said planetary gearhaving a looking rim, said operating rod havin anabutmentmember locatedin the path 0 said look ing r m'iand permitting said rim and theabutment member to serve as mutual abutments,

and an elastic element interposed between the mitting the motor power tothe switch tongues, and a planet gear interposed between said motor andsaid operating rod, one

wheel of said gear having means for throw- 7 ing the switch tongue overduring one part of its motion and for locking the switch dure inganother part of its motion, the outer member of said planetary-gearhaving a f locking rim, said operating rod having an abutment memberlocated in the pathof said locking rim and permitting said rim, and the'abutment member to, serve, as mutual abutments, said locking rim havinga suitably shaped cam surface to press the switch tongue through saidoperating rod tightly against the pertainingraihand an elastic elementinterposed between the drive and the switch tongue and adapted to becompressed by the momentum of the motor after the switch point has comein contact with its pertaining rail.

In testimony whereof I. afiix my signature,

GEORG BON TE.

tongue through said operating rod tightly against the pertaining rail. u

3. An electrically operated track switch mechanism, comprising incombination an electric motor, an operatingrod for transmitting themotor power to the switch tongues, and a planet gearinterposed betweensaid motor and said operating rod, one

wheel of said gear having means for throwing the switch tongueoverduring one part of its motion and for lockingthe switch dur-

